There have been a number of tragic deaths in which children have been mistakenly left in automobiles after the driver had reached their desired destination and left the vehicle. The deaths have usually been caused by a buildup of excess heat or cold within the vehicle during the absence of the driver. Infants, in particular, are susceptible to dehydration when subjected to the elevated temperatures within an enclosed vehicle, and can easily slip into a comatose state.
One system for preventing children from becoming inadvertently locked within a vehicle is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,291. The system utilizes a motion detector to detect the presence of a child or pet within a located vehicle.
Another system described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,293 provides for a warning system that warns when a child is in an infant seat and the vehicle's ignition has been turned off.
In regards to U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,291, this system provides some advantages, particularly in the case of older children that may inadvertently lock themselves in a vehicle while playing and may be actively seeking escape, it fails to protect infants who have been left asleep in their child seats and are not capable of sufficient activity to set off a motion detector. Infants, for example, may become dehydrated during sleep and may drift into a comatose state without ever waking.
In regards to U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,293, the preferred system embodiment illustrates the use of a “hard” wire connection into the vehicles electrical system which could void the electrical warranty for that vehicle and even cause an airbag to malfunction if the aftermarket components cause a short circuit, even if this system could be made wireless it would still require the vehicle to have an ignition system in order to work which many of today's new cars no longer have and today's electric cars don't have. This system also triggers a lot of unnecessary alarms every time the engine is shut off at a full service gas station, in the car wash, drive through etc.
It is therefore an object of the invention to remind the vehicle's driver to remove the infant from the car.
It is another object of the invention to be completely portable so the infant reminder circuit can be moved easily from vehicle to vehicle along with the infants car seat or removed from the infants car seat and placed into another infant car seat.